Orthodox parish in Tobolsk North XIX - early XX centuries: milestones, features of development

The article deals with the process of formation of the system of parishes and the way it developed in Tobolsk North. There are three main stages of how the parishes formed in that area: the end of the XVIth - middle of the XVIIth centuries, the first half of the XVIIIth century, the middle of the XIXth - beginning of the ХХth centuries. It should be stressed that due to Russian migrants the demographic growth significantly affected the expansion of the orthodox culture. The number and the nationality of parishioners are analyzed. The study of the clergy lists showed that although the amount of the parishioners grew, the Tobolsk North data was far behind the average diocesan statistics. Conclusions are drawn that as there was predominance of non-Russians in the rural poorly populated parishes who in general were indifferent to orthodoxy, the clergy had difficulty accomplishing their goals because there were few people they could rely on...